Semiconductor package

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor package with reduced warpage problem is provided, including: a circuit board, having opposing first and second surfaces; a semiconductor chip, formed over a center portion of the first surface of the circuit board, having a first cross sectional dimension; a spacer, formed over a center portion of the semiconductor chip, having a second cross sectional dimension less than that of the first cross sectional dimension; an encapsulant layer, formed over the circuit board, covering the semiconductor chip and surrounding the spacer; a heat spreading layer, formed over the encapsulant layer and the spacer; and a plurality of solder balls, formed over the second surface of the circuit board.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/651,496 filed May 24, 2012, the entirety of which is incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to integrated circuit (IC) devices, andparticularly to a semiconductor package with reduced warpage problem andimproved thermal enhancement.

2. Description of the Related Art

A typical ball grid array (BGA) semiconductor package includes asemiconductor chip mounted on an upper surface of an insulating printedcircuit board substrate. The substrate may be made of a glass fiberfilled organic laminate, such as FR4 board, FR5 board, or BT board, andhave interconnected conductive circuit patterns on upper and lowersurfaces thereof. A hardened encapsulating material covers the chip, theupper surface of the substrate, and electrical conductors, such as bondwires, that extend between the chip and the circuit patterns on theupper surface of the substrate. Conductive balls or other input/outputterminals are formed on the circuit patterns of the lower surface of thesubstrate.

Consistent with the trend toward smaller and thinner packages, onedifficulty with such a BGA semiconductor package, however, is warpage ofthe semiconductor package due in part to temperature cycling during themanufacturing process and differences in the thermal expansionproperties of the various materials of the package, e.g., differences inthe thermal expansion properties of the substrate and encapsulatingmaterial. Where the package substrate is warped, the conductive balls orother input/output terminals on the lower surface of the substrate areuneven. This causes difficulty when mounting the package onto amotherboard. The magnitude of the warpage tends to increase as packagesize increases, and thus tends to impose an upper limit to the size ofthe package. Another emerging desire is to increase the thermalperformance of package as power density is getter higher along theshrinkage of advanced wafer process node. In order to keep IC'sfunctionality and reliability, IC's power consumption is required to becompliant with power limit of the package utilized, and thus restrictthe function complexity of IC due to power limitation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary semiconductor package comprises a circuit board, havingopposing first and second surfaces; a semiconductor chip, formed over acenter portion of the first surface of the circuit board, having a firstcross sectional dimension; a spacer, formed over a center portion of thesemiconductor chip, having a second cross sectional dimension less thanthat of the first cross sectional dimension; an encapsulant layer,formed over the circuit board, covering the semiconductor chip andsurrounding the spacer; a heat spreading layer, formed over theencapsulant layer and the spacer; and a plurality of solder balls,formed over the second surface of the circuit board.

Another exemplary semiconductor package comprises a circuit board,having opposing first and second surfaces; a semiconductor chip, formedover a center portion of the first surface of the circuit board; astiffener, formed over an edge portion of the first surface of thecircuit board, surrounding the semiconductor chip; an encapsulant layer,formed over the circuit board, covering the semiconductor chip andsurrounded by the stiffener; a heat spreading layer, formed over theencapsulant layer and the stiffener; and a plurality of solder balls,formed over the second surface of the circuit board.

Yet another exemplary semiconductor package comprises a circuit board,having opposing first and second surfaces; a semiconductor chip, formedover a center portion of the first surface of the circuit board; anencapsulant layer, formed over the circuit board, covering thesemiconductor chip; a U-like shaped heat spreading layer, formed overthe circuit board, comprising a first portion covering a top surface ofthe encapsulant layer and a second portion embedded in the encapsulantlayer; and a plurality of solder balls, formed over the second surfaceof the circuit board.

A detailed description is given in the following embodiments withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequentdetailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross section of a semiconductor package in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the semiconductor package shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross section of a semiconductor package in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross section of a semiconductor package in accordance withyet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of the semiconductor package shown inFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross section of a semiconductor package in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a heat spreading layer of thesemiconductor package shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic top view of the semiconductor package shown inFIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a schematic top view of a circuit board strip that may be usedfor fabricating the semiconductor package as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carryingout the invention. This description is made for the purpose ofillustrating the general principles of the invention and should not betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determinedby reference to the appended claims.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary semiconductor package 10 with reduced warpageproblem, comprising a circuit board 12, a semiconductor chip 20, aspacer 28, an encapsulant layer 30, a heat spreading layer 32, and aplurality of conductive balls 36.

As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor chip 20 is, for example, afunctional chip such as a microprocessor chip, a memory chip or otherfunctional chips, and has an active first surface 22 and an inactivesecond surface 24. The first surface 22 of the semiconductor chip 20comprises a plurality of input/output pads A located adjacent to theperipheral edges of first surface 22. The semiconductor chip 20 may bethinned by polishing the second surface 24. In one embodiment, thesemiconductor chip 20 may have a coefficient of thermal expansion ofabout 2*10⁻⁶ m/m-K-4*10⁻⁶ m/m-K.

The semiconductor chip 20 is mounted over a center portion of thecircuit board 12 through a first adhesive layer 18. The circuit board 12has opposing first and second surfaces 14 and 16, and the adhesive layer18 and the semiconductor chip 20 are sequentially formed over the centerportion of the first surface 14 of the circuit board 12. The circuitboard 12 is mainly composed of a resin layer (not shown) formed from BT(bismaleimide triazine) board, FR 4 board, FR 5 board, or some otherglass fiber filled organic (e.g., epoxy) laminate of the type used tomake printed circuit board substrates for semiconductor packages. Inaddition, conductive traces and conductive interconnects (both notshown) are also formed in the circuit board 12, thereby providingsuitable electrical connections between the semiconductor chip 20 andthe conductive balls 36. In one embodiment, the circuit board 18 mayhave an overall coefficient of thermal expansion of about 4*10⁻⁶m/m-K-25*10⁻⁶ m/m-K. The first adhesive layer 18 may comprise epoxy, andhave a coefficient of thermal expansion of about 30*10⁻⁶ m/m-K-65*10⁻⁶m/m-K.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of bonding pads B and electricallyconductive circuit patterns (not shown) are formed on the first surface14 of the circuit board 12, and the conductive balls 36 are formed onthe second surface 16 of the circuit board 12. Each input/output pad Aof the semiconductor chip 20 is electrically connected to one of thebonding pads B by a conductive connections mean 34, which spans betweenthe semiconductor chip 20 and the bonding pads. As shown in FIG. 1, theconductive connections mean 34 may be a bond wire formed of gold oraluminum.

In addition, the spacer 28 is mounted over a center portion of the firstsurface 22 of the semiconductor chip 20 through a second adhesive layer28. The spacer 28, for example, is a rectangular non-functional chipmade of a blank semiconductor wafer, and may comprise a semiconductormaterial which is the same as that of the semiconductor layer (notshown) of the semiconductor chip 20. The spacer 28 is formed with across sectional dimension, for example a width W1, smaller than that ofa cross sectional dimension, for example a width W2, of thesemiconductor chip 20, and a ratio between the first cross sectionaldimension and the second cross sectional dimension is about 1:2-1:6. Inone embodiment, the spacer 28 may have a coefficient of thermalexpansion of about 2*10⁻⁶ m/m-K-5*10⁻⁶ m/m-K.

The encapsulant layer 30 covers the first surface 22 of thesemiconductor chip 20 and the first surface 14 of the circuit board 12,and surrounds the spacer 28 but does not cover a top surface of thespacer 28. The encapsulant layer 30 may be formed by molding and curingof a resin material (e.g., epoxy), or by pouring and curing of a liquidresin material (e.g., epoxy). The heat spreading layer 32 covers a topsurface of the encapsulant layer 30 and a top surface of the secondsemiconductor layer 28. In one embodiment, the encapsulant layer 30 mayhave a coefficient of thermal expansion of about 5*10⁻⁶ m/m-K-20*10⁻⁶m/m-K. The heat spreading layer 32 may be formed of copper, aluminum, orother metal alloy, and have a coefficient of thermal expansion of about12*10⁻⁶ m/m-K-30*10⁻⁶ m/m-K, and a thickness of about 50-350 μm, andthermal conductivity of about 50-420 W/m-k.

The conductive balls 36, for example, are made of lead tin solder orsome other metal, and serve as input/output terminals for thesemiconductor package 10. The conductive balls 36 are each electricallyconnected to a respective input/output pad A of the semiconductor chip20 through the connective connections means 34, the bonding pad B formedover the circuit board 12, and the conductive traces and conductiveinterconnects (both not shown) formed in the circuit board 12. Theconductive Balls 36 allow the semiconductor package 10 to be mounted ona motherboard (not shown). Other configurations of input/outputterminals are possible.

In the exemplary semiconductor package 10 shown in FIG. 1, the warpageproblem is prevented, or at least reduced, by the provision of thespacer 28 and the heat spreading layer 32. The spacer 28 and the heatspreading layer 32 provide a robust frame which has direct bonding withthe semiconductor chip 20 and therefore can impose a restriction onpotential warpage comes from the circuit board 12.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of the semiconductor package 10 shownin FIG. 1, and FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional view taken along line 1-1in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the heat spreading layer 32 entirelycovers the circuit board 12, and only the semiconductor chip 20 and thespacer 28 are illustrated with dotted lines, for the purpose ofsimplicity.

FIG. 3 shows another exemplary semiconductor package 40 with reducedwarpage problem, and the exemplary semiconductor package 40 is modifiedfrom the semiconductor package 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. For thepurpose of simplicity, the same components are illustrated with the samenumerals and only differences between the semiconductor package 10 and40 are discussed below.

As shown in FIG. 3, a thermal interlayer 42 is further provided betweenthe heat spreading layer 32 and the spacer 28. In one embodiment, thethermal interlayer 42 may be formed of epoxy, and have a coefficient ofthermal expansion of about 30*10⁻⁶ m/m-K-65*10⁻⁶ m/m-K, and a thicknessof about 5-100 μm.

In the exemplary semiconductor package 40 shown in FIG. 3, the warpageproblem is prevented, or at least reduced, by the provision of thespacer 28, the thermal interlayer 42, and the heat spreading layer 32.The spacer 28, the thermal interlayer 42, and the heat spreading layer32 provide a vertical path that may relieve thermal stresses accumulatedin the circuit board 12 that would otherwise result in warpage.

FIG. 4 shows another exemplary semiconductor package 50 with reducedwarpage problem, and the exemplary semiconductor package 50 is modifiedfrom the semiconductor package 40 shown in FIG. 3. For the purpose ofsimplicity, the same components are illustrated with the same numeralsand only differences between the semiconductor packages 40 and 50 arediscussed below.

As shown in FIG. 4, the spacer 28 and the second adhesive layer 26 arenot formed in the semiconductor chip 20. Instead, a stiffener 52 isformed over an edge portion of the first surface 14 of the circuit board12 to surround the semiconductor chip 20, and the encapsulant layer 30formed over the circuit board 12 covers the semiconductor chip 20 and isnow surrounded by the stiffener 52. The heat spreading layer 32 isformed over the encapsulant layer 30 and the stiffener 52, and thethermal interlayer 42 is provided between the heat spreading layer 32,the encapsulant layer 30 and the stiffener 52. In one embodiment, thestiffener 52 may be formed of copper, aluminum, or other metal alloy,and have a coefficient of thermal expansion of about 50*10⁻⁶m/m-K-420*10⁻⁶ m/m-K.

In the exemplary semiconductor package 50 shown in FIG. 4, the warpageproblem is prevented, or at least reduced, by the provision of thestiffener 52, the thermal interlayer 42, and the heat spreading layer32. The stiffener 52, the thermal interlayer 42, and the heat spreadinglayer 32 provide a robust frame which has direct bonding with thecircuit board 12 and therefore can impose a restriction on potentialwarpage comes from the circuit board 12.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic top view of the semiconductor package 50 shownin FIG. 4, and FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the heat spreading layer 32 entirelycovers the circuit board 12. Meanwhile, only the semiconductor chip 20and the stiffener 52 are illustrated with dotted lines, for the purposeof simplicity.

FIG. 6 shows another exemplary semiconductor package 60 with reducedwarpage problem, and the exemplary semiconductor package 60 is modifiedfrom the semiconductor package 10 shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose ofsimplicity, the same components are illustrated with the same numeralsand only differences between the semiconductor packages 10 and 60 arediscussed below.

As shown in FIG. 6, the spacer 28, the second adhesive layer 26 and theheat spreading layer 32 are not formed in the semiconductor package.Instead, a U-like shaped heat spreading layer 62 is formed over thecircuit board 12, comprising a first portion 62 a formed over a topsurface of the encapsulant layer 30 and a second portion 62 b embeddedwithin the encapsulant layer 30. The second portion 62 b of the U-likeshaped heat spreading layer 62 is mounted over the semiconductor chip 20through a third adhesive layer 68. A plurality of openings 64 are formedin the second portion 62 b of the U-like shaped heat spreading layer 62to allow a material of the encapsulant layer 30 to flow therethroughduring formation thereof.

In one embodiment, the U-like shaped heat spreading layer 62 may beformed of copper, aluminum, or other metal alloy, and have a coefficientof thermal expansion of about 50*10⁻⁶ m/m-K-420*10⁻⁶ m/m-K. The thirdadhesive layer 68 may be formed of epoxy, and have a coefficient ofthermal expansion of about 30*10⁻⁶ m/m-K-65*10⁻⁶ m/m-K. FIG. 7 is aperspective view showing the heat spreading layer 62 used in thesemiconductor package shown in FIG. 6.

In the exemplary semiconductor package 60 shown in FIG. 6, the warpageproblem is prevented, or at least reduced, by the provision of theU-like shaped heat spreading layer 62. The U-like shaped heat spreadinglayer 62 provides a robust frame which has direct bonding with thecircuit board 12 and therefore can impose a restriction on potentialwarpage comes from the circuit board 12.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic top view of the semiconductor package 60 shownin FIG. 6, and FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view taken along line 6-6in FIG. 8. In this embodiment, the U-like shaped heat spreading layer 62entirely covers the circuit board 12, and the only the U-like shapedheat spreading layer 62, the opening 64 therein and the semiconductorchip 20 are illustrated, for the purpose of simplicity.

The exemplary semiconductor packages 10, 40, 50, and 60 with reducedwarpage problem disclosed above can be fabricated by a sawing-typewire-bond BGA packaging process. The components of the semiconductorpackages 10, 40, 50, and 60 are fabricated from a circuit board strip.FIG. 9 is a schematic top view of an exemplary circuit board strip 70that may be used for fabricating a plurality of the semiconductorpackages 10, 40, 50, and 60 disclosed above. The circuit board strip 70includes a main strip 72 composed of five circuit boards 74. Opposingrows of holes 76 are formed through the opposing peripheral portions ofthe main strip 72. The holes 76 allow for the alignment and advancementof the circuit board strip 100 in automatic processing equipment.Components in the plurality of the semiconductor packages 10, 40, 50, or60 can be simultaneously fabricated over the five circuit boards 74 andthen singulated into individual semiconductor packages 10, 40, 50, or 60by a sawing process (not shown).

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofthe preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it isintended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (aswould be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope ofthe appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so asto encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor package, comprising: a circuitboard, having opposing first and second surfaces; a semiconductor chip,formed over a center portion of the first surface of the circuit board,having a first cross sectional dimension; a spacer, formed over a centerportion of the semiconductor chip, having a second cross sectionaldimension less than that of the first cross sectional dimension; anencapsulant layer, formed over the circuit board, covering thesemiconductor chip and surrounding the spacer; a heat spreading layer,formed over the encapsulant layer and the spacer; and a plurality ofsolder balls, formed over the second surface of the circuit board,wherein the semiconductor chip is a functional chip and the spacer is anon-functional chip, wherein the spacer comprises a semiconductormaterial which is the same as that of the semiconductor chip.
 2. Thesemiconductor package as claimed in claim 1, further comprising athermal interlayer disposed between the heat spreading layer and theencapsulant layer and the spacer.
 3. The semiconductor package asclaimed in claim 1, further comprising a first adhesive layer, formedover the first surface of the circuit board and the semiconductor chip.4. The semiconductor package as claimed in claim 1, further comprising asecond adhesive layer, formed between the spacer and the semiconductorchip.
 5. The semiconductor package as claimed in claim 1, wherein aratio between the first cross sectional dimension and the second crosssectional dimension is about 1:2-1:6.
 6. The semiconductor package asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the heat spreading layer comprises copper oraluminum.
 7. The semiconductor package as claimed in claim 2, whereinthe thermal interlayer comprises epoxy.
 8. A semiconductor package,comprising: a circuit board, having opposing first and second surfaces;a semiconductor chip, formed over a center portion of the first surfaceof the circuit board; a stiffner, formed over an edge portion of thefirst surface of the circuit board, surrounding the semiconductor chip;an encapsulant layer, formed over the circuit board, covering thesemiconductor chip and surrounded by the stiffner; a heat spreadinglayer, formed over the encapsulant layer and the stiffner; and aplurality of solder balls, formed over the second surface of the circuitboard.
 9. The semiconductor package as claimed in claim 8, furthercomprising a thermal interlayer disposed between the heat spreadinglayer and the encapsulant layer.
 10. The semiconductor package asclaimed in claim 8, further comprising a first adhesive layer, formedover the first surface of the circuit board and the semiconductor chip.11. The semiconductor package as claimed in claim 8, wherein the heatspreading layer comprises copper or aluminum.
 12. The semiconductorpackage as claimed in claim 9, wherein the thermal interlayer comprisesepoxy.
 13. A semiconductor package, comprising: a circuit board, havingopposing first and second surfaces; a semiconductor chip, formed over acenter portion of the first surface of the circuit board; an encapsulantlayer, formed, over the circuit board, covering the semiconductor chip;a U-like shaped heat spreading layer, formed over the circuit board,comprising a first portion covering a top surface of the encapsulantlayer and a second portion embedded in the encapsulant layer; and aplurality of solder balls, formed over the second surface of the circuitboard.
 14. The semiconductor package as claimed in claim 13, wherein thesecond portion of the U-like shaped heat spreading layer is formed overthe semiconductor chip.
 15. The semiconductor package as claimed inclaim 13, further comprising a first adhesive layer, formed between thefirst surface of the circuit board and the semiconductor chip.
 16. Thesemiconductor package as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a thirdadhesive layer, formed between the second portion of the U-like shapedheat spreading layer and the semiconductor chip.
 17. The semiconductorpackage as claimed in claim 13, wherein the heat spreading layercomprises copper or aluminum.
 18. The semiconductor package as claimedin claim 13, further comprising a plurality of openings, formed in thesecond portion of the U-like shaped heat spreading layer.
 19. Thesemiconductor package as claimed in claim 18, wherein the openings allowa material of the encapsulant layer to flow therethrough.